In 1966, the NFL teamed with the USO and became the first sports organization to send a group of players to Vietnam and other parts of Asia, demonstrating the league’s support for America’stroops.  Last year, NFL players LUIS CASTILLO, TOMMIE HARRIS, MIKE RUCKER traveled overseas to Afghanistan and Commissioner ROGER GOODELL joined DREW BREES and OSI UMENYIORA on a trip to Iraq and Afghanistan to meet with service members.  Players participating in this year’s NFL-USO Tour:  

JARED ALLEN, MINNESOTA VIKINGS:  Since entering the NFL in 2004, Allen’s 57.5 sacks are the most among all players. He has also forced 16 fumbles, which is the 8th most from 2004-08. A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Allen is a dedicated volunteer for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  After supporting the cause while playing in Kansas City, he expanded his commitment to the national level in 2008 by making a=20donation of $3,000 for each sack he registered.  Allen participates in numerous Vikings communityinitiatives including the ‘You Made the Team’ tour and the Vikings Children’s Fund “Celebrity Server” event.  An avid outdoorsman, Allen also incorporates mixed martial arts into his off-season conditioning.  

DANNY CLARK, NEW YORK GIANTS:  Clark has played in 138 games with 82 starts in his 9-year career with five NFL franchises, and his career totals include 650 tackles, 5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 17 passes defended and 2 interceptions. In 2008, he started 16 of 17 games for the Giants and recorded 74 tackles. Off the field, he has established his own charitable foundation, the “Danny Clark 55 Foundation,” to benefit children in his hometown of Chicago and hosts an annual “Shop with a Jock” program during the holiday season. Clark aspires to work in broadcasting one day and has made numerous appearances on TV and radio. He has twin brothers who have been stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and Air Force.                   

LARRY FITZGERALD, ARIZONA CARDINALS: Fitzgerald was drafted by the Cardinals with the third overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft and has started all 76 games he has appeared in during his five NFL seasons, collecting 426 receptions for 5,975 yards and 46 touchdowns. In 2008, the three-time Pro Bowl selection became the youngest receiver in NFL history (25 years, 119 days) to reach 400 career receptions. Fitzgerald recently completed a playoff run that saw him shatter the NFL record for receiving yards (546), receptions (30), and receiving touchdowns (7) in a single postseason. During the 2008 season, Fitzgerald held the 1st Annual “Merry Fitzgerald Christmas” for 200 children from the Phoenix area, personally helping select gifts for each child. Among his other off the field activities, he also participates in the NFL’s “Take A Player to School” program. Before going on to star at the University of Pittsburgh, Fitzgerald attended Valley Forge (PA) Military  Academy following his senior year of high school.                

WILL WITHERSPOON, ST. LOUIS RAMS:  The son of a retired military officer who was stationed abroad, Witherspoon spent part of his childhood living in Germany and England and speaks German.  Witherspoon attended the University of Georgia where he was a three-year starter prior to being drafted in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft  by Carolina.  20A two-time selection to the USA Today “All-Joe” team honoring the NFL’s hardest-working players, Witherspoon joined the Rams as a free agent in 2006 and made an immediate impact by leading the team in tackles. He has been a Rams’ team captain for the past two seasons and is also a leader off the field assisting with various community initiatives including the Epilepsy Foundation, St. Louis Area Food bank and Dollar-Help, which  offers grants to needy families to pay their home energy bills.